


Daring to Find the Truth

by Afoolforatook, alphaparrot, Amber_Aglio, BrianneABanana, delta_altair, Nemomo, satariraine, StoryWeaverKirea, TesseractTown, TheCraftyNinjaCat, thedarkpoet, Victorious56



Category: RWBY
Genre: Flirting, M/M, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25308943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Afoolforatook/pseuds/Afoolforatook, https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphaparrot/pseuds/alphaparrot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amber_Aglio/pseuds/Amber_Aglio, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrianneABanana/pseuds/BrianneABanana, https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_altair/pseuds/delta_altair, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemomo/pseuds/Nemomo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/satariraine/pseuds/satariraine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryWeaverKirea/pseuds/StoryWeaverKirea, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TesseractTown/pseuds/TesseractTown, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCraftyNinjaCat/pseuds/TheCraftyNinjaCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkpoet/pseuds/thedarkpoet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: A Damaging storm has ripped through Atlas, and it's up to our resident luckyand unluckyboys to help! Or... not?
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16
Collections: The Nonsense Game





	Daring to Find the Truth

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the Nonsense Game (Fair Game Effect Discord server) for the prompt City of Atlas: Damaging Storm
> 
> Order of writers:
> 
> alphaparrot  
> Victorious56  
> thedarkpoet  
> StoryWeaverKirea  
> delta_altair  
> Nemomo  
> TheCraftyNinjaCat  
> Afoolforatook  
> Amber_Aglio  
> satariraine  
> TesseractTown  
> BrianneABanana

Clover’s fingers trembled in the frigid wind as he struggled with the latch on the utility box’s emergency power port. He strained to pull it open, but his numb fingers refused to cooperate.

“Qrow!” he shouted, straining to see the red of the other man’s cloak through the blinding flurries whipping past his face. “Any luck finding the loose end of that conduit?”

He thought he heard a faint reply, but it was unintelligible over the howling wind. Clover cursed to himself, and tried again.

“QROW!” he shouted, at the top of his lungs.

A tall, angular shape appeared in the billowing curtains of white snow, a streak of red streaming out into the air beside it. The shape materialized into Qrow as he trudged through the now knee-deep snow, lugging a thick, electric-blue Dust conduit, its long cable disappearing into the snowstorm behind him. 

“I found it,” Qrow panted, collapsing into the snow next to Clover, bracing himself with one hand against the utility box. White snow matted his hair, and he shivered as a clump slid into his collar. “This feels like it was my luck,” he grumbled.

“Enough of that!” Clover said. He pointed to the frozen latch. “Help me open this thing! It’s frozen shut!”

“Alright, I’ll pry it open with Harbinger, and you plug in the conduit!” Qrow replied.

“Harbinger? Are you crazy?”

“Trust me!”

Clover took the emergency power conduit from Qrow, and Qrow positioned Harbinger’s blade under the latch. Qrow leaned on Harbinger’s hilt, and with a grunt, the latch snapped open. Clover heaved the power conduit out of the snow, and rammed it into the emergency power port. He stepped back and clapped Qrow on the shoulder, as the raging wind enveloped them in swirling snow.

* * *

Qrow reached up to Clover’s ear, cupping his hand to make himself heard. “This storm is getting worse, what’s the forecast?”

“Several hours of this at least.” Clover cast a look about him— a futile gesture, as the blizzard conditions meant visibility was down to about ten feet.

“There’s no way we can travel in this. With my luck we’d drive into something before we even knew it was there.”

“I’ve told you before about that, Qrow. Your misfortune isn’t responsible for every bad thing that might happen.”

“I know, I know… old habits die hard, right?”

Clover was about to reply, when a thin, shrieking wail sounded above them. It was quickly joined by another, then a third.

“What in Dust’s name is out in weather like this?” The sound, circling around them along with the spiralling snow, was bone-chilling.

Clover squinted skywards. “Could be a Teryx, well, a bunch of them. Can’t see them causing us a problem down here, we’re pretty well obscured by the snow.”

As he spoke, the shrill keening died away, leaving only the whining of the wind as it continued to whip about them.

“We need to get out of this gale. I know you never feel the cold, but we aren’t all built like a 200 kilowatt space heater.” Qrow offered Clover a small smile as he turned back towards the truck.

Clover climbed in after Qrow and pulled the door shut. The sudden quiet after the howling gale outside, made the space seem disconcertingly intimate.

Qrow rubbed his fingers through his hair, dispersing rapidly melting snowflakes as he did so. Clover tried to start the engine, but after three attempts, it sputtered and fell silent. He looked at Qrow, shrugging his shoulders. “Seems to be dead.”

Qrow looked back at Clover. “So we’re stuck here for a couple of hours? This is gonna get boring pretty quickly. How about a game of Truth or Dare?”

* * *

Clover snorted, leaning back in his seat.

“Seems like travelling with the kids rubbed off on you. I haven’t played Truth or Dare since my Academy days.”

“Not scared, are you?” Qrow asked, giving him a sidelong look.

“I can’t imagine you have anything too terrible in mind,” Clover replied. “I’m more surprised that you suggested it, honestly.”

“I’ll even go first,” Qrow said magnanimously.

“So generous,” Clover said. “Alright then. Truth or dare?”

Qrow grinned, the sudden change in his expression startling.

“Dare.”

* * *

Clover smirked as he thought for a moment and then said, “I dare you to do a backflip.” 

“Really?” Qrow scoffed. “That’s too easy.” He stood up and did the most graceful backflip Clover had ever seen, he even ended it with a flourish and gave the other man a smug grin as he sat back down.

“Had to start somewhere.” Clover simply told him as he half heartedly clapped. “My turn?”

“Whatever you say. Truth or dare?” Qrow had a feeling he knew what Clover would say.

“Truth.” 

Bingo.

“Who’s your closest friend?” That was the first question that came to mind, he was curious since it was obvious the Ace Ops weren’t that close.

“That would be James.” Clover answered easily. “We’ve been through a lot together.” Qrow noticed the almost wistful look on his face but it was gone in an instant.

“Guess that makes sense.” Qrow stated as he looked away, feeling as if he was intruding on something.

Clover continued the game without missing a beat. “Truth or dare.”

“Dare.” Qrow still wasn’t looking at the other man so he missed the cheeky grin Clover was giving him.

“I dare you to sit in my lap.”

Qrow’s eyes widened and a pretty flush graced his cheeks as he looked up at Clover who was still grinning. The shapeshifter glared at him but didn’t say anything as he stood up and sat in his lap.

* * *

Clover rested his hands gently on Qrow's waist. He let his grin soften slightly as he asked, "This alright?"

"Yeah yeah," Qrow said gruffly, but there was an amused glint in his eyes. "Just means I'll have to get more creative. Besides..." He slid his arms around Clover's shoulders and leaned in slightly. Clover felt his breath hitch. "You're pretty comfy."

Clover felt a flush rising in his face, but he kept eye contact with Qrow. "Thank you."

Qrow grinned, then asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Why'd you wink at me that first time, after you told me about your semblance?"

He let out a hum, rolling his head back for a moment. "I got the sense you were worried about how I'd perceive your semblance. I wanted to lighten the mood, let you know that you had nothing to worry about. And you deserve to have some winks thrown your way."

Qrow looked extraordinarily pleased at that. His voice was so low it was practically a purr, "Well it worked, lucky charm."

"Good to know," Clover said, an easy grin back on his face. This was turning out to be fun. He could think of worse ways to pass the time, and most of them didn't involve Qrow sitting on his lap. "Truth or dare?" he asked. 

* * *

"Dare."

"I dare you to stay on my lap until the end of times"

* * *

Qrow chuckled softly. “You didn’t have to waste your turn on that. I would have done it either way.”

“Just making sure,” Clover said, his grin spreading. Suddenly the idea of being stuck here for a while didn’t seem so bad.

“Truth or dare?” Qrow asked, shifting closer to the other man.

“Dare.”

He flipped around so they were face to face. They were so close, Clover could feel Qrow’s breath on his lips.

“Kiss me.”

The rain pattering against the roof became deafening. Heart pounding, Clover slowly leaned forward. Qrow followed, his eyes slipping shut. 

They were inches away when Clover darted forwards and gave him a chaste peck on the lips, relishing in Qrow’s cries of disappointment.

“Cheater,” he laughed, punching him in the arm.

“I followed the rules, didn’t I?” Clover responded.

Qrow huffed, flipping around again, “When I win,  _ I’m _ making the rules for next time.”

_ “If _ you win.” Clover smirked casually, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Qrow drawled. He leaned back against Clover’s chest, all the more determined to win.

* * *

Clover paused, taking a moment to genuinely mull over his challenge. Finally he smiled, dropping his chin to rest on Qrow’s shoulder, the short hair behind his ear tickling the side of his face. 

“I dare you to not argue with anything I say for the next minute.” His voice was firm but rich like honey, kind. 

Qrow turned to look at him, eyebrow perked in confusion.

“Wha-”

“Do you agree?” Clover cut him off, his eyes bright with satisfied affection. 

Qrow huffed, rolling his eyes, pretending like there wasn’t a tiny ball of apprehension in his gut. 

“Fine.” 

Clover was quiet for a moment, just feeling the warmth of Qrow’s back against his chest. 

“Your sixty seconds is running out there, Shamrock.” Qrow prodded. 

“You’re amazing.” His voice was quiet, protective. 

Qrow’s eyes widened and he forced his mouth to stay shut as he realized what Clover was doing. He turned away, not meeting the green eyes watching him. He would win this, he wasn’t going to let Clover best him with some silly dare. 

“You’re kind and honest and strong and intelligent.” 

Qrow could feel Clover watching him, waiting for him to deflect, as the flush rose in his cheeks. 

* * *

Okay, he could do this. As a spy, he knew that sometimes telling part of the truth was far more effective than lying. Something similar could be applied here.

Qrow looked Clover straight in the eye and smirked. Clover frowned slightly, obviously not expecting such a reaction, but continued, “And you’re a great uncle and role model for the kids. They look up to you so much…”

That was a good time to strike, Qrow decided. "Like how Marrow looks up to you?" he asked innocently and watched with a sense of somewhat perverse satisfaction as Clover gaped and tried to keep up with the sharp turn of conversation. Good. Let's not give him time to recover.

“You’re an amazing leader, you know. You’re smart and quick-witted, but you trust your teammates to make their own decisions. And yet, you will always be there with the backup exactly when it’s needed, you know? With your Semblance it would have been so easy to grab all the glory for yourself, but you know it will be more effective if you amplify other people’s strength, even if it leaves you in the shadows.”

Qrow grinned in the face of his obvious victory. He didn’t deflect, in fact, if you squint, he even agreed with some of what Clover had said, and also got the pleasure of seeing Clover flustered by his own barrage of compliments. Ah, it was good to be on the other side every once in a while.

* * *

When his compliments were met with silence, Qrow wondered for just a moment if he said too much. Clover was flushed a gentle red, fist raised to his mouth, hiding any expression save for what Qrow could read in his eyes. It seemed like he was looking everywhere and nowhere all at once, a semi-contained nervousness Qrow wasn’t used to seeing from someone like him.

That sense of pride was still there, of course. He flustered  _ Clover  _ of all people. But...

He couldn’t help it. Stepping forward, he placed himself in front of Clover and offered him a rare smile: soft around the edges, a touch sympathetic. He could feel his own blush still warming his cheeks and was actually glad for it, if only because Clover met his gaze, looked over him, and dropped his fist to share a charming smile.

“I’d, uh.” Clover started, and Qrow grinned, folding his arms over his chest. He knew that tone of voice - excuses, excuses. Except Clover just shrugged his broad shoulders, sighed, and just… kept his smile there. “I had that coming, didn’t I?”

“No more than I did, apparently.” Qrow joked, and found himself looking away from those now suddenly very amused green eyes. After a moment, spoken so quietly he wondered if Clover would even hear him, he added, “I meant it, though. All of it.”

Reflexes be damned, Qrow managed not to jolt in place when Clover stepped forward into his space, that same charming smile on his face as he reached out and brushed at any errant hairs falling over Qrow’s eyes. His fingertips were warm, the touch maddeningly light.

Qrow forced himself not to move away. He wouldn’t even if he could.

“I know, Qrow,” Clover said. “I meant it, too.” 

* * *

Clover looked deep into those crimson eyes, who were staring right back up at him, and all time just seemed to stop as Clover got lost in those eyes.

Clover’s hands find their way to Qrow’s waist as he tugs him closer carefully as he leans down, their lips interlocking.

* * *

Their kiss was slow and gentle at first, but became more passionate, fueled by their feelings and reactions to what had happened. All of their worry, fear, and care for the other was shown as they caressed cheeks, gripped shoulders, and hummed in contentment. It must’ve been minutes before their lips broke apart, their breath heavy and thankfully warm between them. They stayed in close, the rest of their bodies pressed together and reluctant to part after their harrowing experience.

“As much as I want to stay like this forever,” Qrow said, “We should probably get back to the others.”

Clover smiled and looked into Qrows eyes lovingly. “I don’t know Qrow, I think they can handle the rest of things themselves. I, for one, want to keep you in my arms as long as I can.”

Qrow chuckled at Clover’s candid rebellion and relaxed even more into his shoulder, “I’m a-ok with that Cloves. Just don’t put the blame on me when we get scolded later.”

“Don’t worry,” Clover soothed, “Even through heated scolding, I’ll be by your side.”

The two held each other tightly as the sun rose on a new day; Exhaustion settling in, but happiness and contentment overriding it.


End file.
